Im new and need help

[wierzban]

Hey guys, I've had my ram for a year now and I'd really like to give it a little bit of a stance. I've heard the Bil 5100s are great, but I'm not sure what steps to take. Or do i get a lift? I know i don't want a towering beast but just more to beef it up a little. Possibly a 4"? Any and all help please!

 

[DRkNESS]

First of all welcome to the forum, secondly what exactly will your truck be used for ? Giving as much information as you can will go a long way towards getting your answer.

 

[wierzban]

Thank you. Well its a 2012 ram 1500 crew big horn. Its my daily driver. Mainly bought it so i could throw my wheeler in the back for easier transport. Dont haul it too often, don't pull trailers to often either. Some off road driving, but mostly paved roads.

 

[Thatdude596]

buy a set of bilstein 5100 adjustable front struts and set at 2.1

 

[wierzban]

Are they relatively easy to do at home?

 

[Weezer]

Welcome.
This is a before and after with a 4". Do you want aggressive (wide stance) ?



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[R.L.K.]

Bills are pretty easy if your a DIYer need set of jack stands , metric sockets &wrenches up to 21mm I believe , medium to heavy dead blow hammer , impact air or electric helps with shock top nut removal / install and coil spring compressor install & removal .
Make sure you GET A QUALITY coil spring compressor!
If you've never done this kind of work search YouTube for " How to install a lift kit Ram"
This video is pretty good , gives good guidance , just don't follow his tq on anti sway bar .
You will need a front end alignment when done .

Hope this helps !

Found the video .

https://youtu.be/GpLJIln6VBA

 

[R.L.K.]

Important tips on Bilstein adjustable shock install .

#1 ) the washer that comes assembled under the nut on the top of the Bilsteins shocks piston ... it does NOT end up under the nut as some do ! It goes against the shoulder of the piston under the threaded portion of the top of the piston to make the diameter of the seat for your upper spring seat the same as the OEM shock piston diameter . The nut goes on the very top all by itself ( no washer under the nut )
The video I posted above does not point this out !

Improperly installing this washer under the top nut as opposed to on top of the Pistons shouldered diameter has led to a clunking sound for some .

The video mentions a very high Tq. For the anti sway bar nut .... I don't know what the proper tq is but , my advice is take a photo prior to starting and count the threads and snug it back down where it was ( I did this & no issues 5k miles ) some have stripped this off ... also no need to detach the anti sway bar completely , just loosen enough to get the job done by pushing by hand to remove the OEM shock n spring and also to install the Bilstein & OEM coil .

Hope this helps !

A couple pics of when I did my install .

OEM SET UP

Everything removed / important to note here , you don't have to remove your UCA, I was changing mine and this is not required.

Bills installed.

 

[Weezer]

Bills are pretty easy if your a DIYer need set of jack stands , metric sockets &wrenches up to 21mm I believe , medium to heavy dead blow hammer , impact air or electric helps with shock top nut removal / install and coil spring compressor install & removal .
Make sure you GET A QUALITY coil spring compressor!
If you've never done this kind of work search YouTube for " How to install a lift kit Ram"
This video is pretty good , gives good guidance , just don't follow his tq on anti sway bar .
You will need a front end alignment when done .

Hope this helps !

Found the video .

https://youtu.be/GpLJIln6VBA

This video was very informative. Thx for sharing [emoji106]

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[R.L.K.]

Hope it helps , this really is an easy install ... I'd say a 4 out of 10

 

[smoothee]

Important tips on Bilstein adjustable shock install .

#1 ) the washer that comes assembled under the nut on the top of the Bilsteins shocks piston ... it does NOT end up under the nut as some do ! It goes against the shoulder of the piston under the threaded portion of the top of the piston to make the diameter of the seat for your upper spring seat the same as the OEM shock piston diameter . The nut goes on the very top all by itself ( no washer under the nut )
The video I posted above does not point this out !

Improperly installing this washer under the top nut as opposed to on top of the Pistons shouldered diameter has led to a clunking sound for some .

Interesting. I'm thinking the improper placement of this washer led to my recent replacement of a Bilstein and upper strut mount. The washer was just beneath the nut. The strut appeared to be over extended and the hole in the mount had been worn into an egg shape.

 

[R.L.K.]

Damn ! Sorry to hear that ! How many miles did you have on them ?

 

[smoothee]

Probably around 30-35000 kms. So it did take a while, but still a pain in the ****. One of the reasons I do all of my own work now! Just wish I had the time, space, and tools to do it all when I bought the truck new.

 

[wierzban]

Thanks for the help guys! Rlk, do you have anybpictures of the finished hight with the bils? Im pretty sure im going with them, just have to find them first.

 

[R.L.K.]

These are before Bilstien's

 

[DRkNESS]

Dang, those Bilsteins are no joke on those 2014s lol.

 

[R.L.K.]

I set mine to max +2.8" and my measurements after a short test drive was +2.75" , I had al ost exactly 3" of rake and I couldn't stand it ! LOL !

 

[sumb34ch]

RLK looks great! And WPS!
Quick question for those who have installed bils before, what are your suggestions on a quality coil spring compressor? What's everyone else using? I certainly don't want mine to fail.

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[R.L.K.]

I borrowed one from a buddy , it was beefy as hell ( looked like the one in the video I posted above just beefier) and had lock pins to keep the spring from popping out . He said he bought it years ago and it was labeled simply as a Truck spring compressor .
Key notes , make sure your coil fits perfectly in the jaws of the compressor and make sure it has Safty pins to hold it in place .

The one I used worked great , I applied anti-sieize compound the the threads of the compressor and used an electric impact to run it down , easy easy

You could probably rent one from Autozone or Napa ...

 

[Jimmy68]

I see you guys saying welcome and hello.
I see no respect or acknowledgement.
Just "Answer my question"